Positioning of the body has been found to be a significant factor in the effectiveness of various types of therapy. One of these is in the area of postural drainage which involves the loosening and removal of trapped mucus from the trachiobronchial tree in an oral direction. Careful postitioning of the lungs is necessary so that gravity will help secretions flow from smaller airways into large airways where the secretions can be coughed outward. This can be aided with the use of percussive devices which apply vibrations to the lungs and other bronchial sections in the affected area.
In the prior art, relatively expensive positioning tables are available which have motor driven sections thereof which can be elevated and angled with respect to each other so that a person may lie thereon in various attitudes to achieve the proper body positioning. These devices are generally available only in a medical facility, and are not adapted for home use. Furthermore, these devices are not suitable for self treatment as they require an experienced operator to achieve the proper table position.
The inventors herein have succeeded in developing a portable, adjustable body tilt board which provides the many advantages of the more expensive motorized tilting bed of the prior art, but at much less expense and with unique features making it suitable for use in the clinic, office, or home. The adjustable tilt board generally comprises a pair of panels, each panel having a series of lugs at an edge with holes for the insertion of a rod to hinge the panels together. A cushioning pad is secured to the outer surface of each panel with Velcro.TM. fasteners, and a nylon strap extending between the panels with a Velcro.TM. fastener material included in the strap to provide the adjustability required. In the preferred embodiment, one end of the strap is secured to an edge of one of the panels, and the strap is wrapped around each of the panels with a section of Velcro.TM. fastening material on the free end of the strap which hooks to a mating Velcro.TM. fastening material secured to a midportion of the strap. A marker is included on the free end of the strap, and a scale is marked along the face of the cushioning pads. The nylon strap is chosen to be of a length such that as the marker is aligned with a number on the scale, e.g. 60.degree., and the strap secured at that position after which the panels may be pivoted apart and rested on the floor or other supporting surface to achieve an angular orientation of 60.degree. between each panel and the supporting surface. Of course, the angle may be easily adjusted by tearing loose the Velcro.TM. fastener, repositioning the angular orientation of the panels, and refastening the free end of the strap. A person may then lie on, over, or against one or both of the panels as desired to achieve the proper angular positioning of the body for application of the therapy, such as in percussive postural draining.
The panels may themselves be formed by a plastic injection molding process and be identically the same. The lugs providing the hinge may be suitably positioned such that they nest upon reversal of one panel with respect to the other. An aluminum rod may be inserted through the lug holes, and slightly deformed to hold it in position. The length of the nylon strap is chosen such that it wraps at least once around the edge of the panel where one end of the strap is secured which provides increased strength and relieves the tension from the screws securing the strap to the panel. This greatly minimizes the possibility of the strap tearing loose from the tilt board.
The present invention has been found to be highly stable and able to support bodies weighing up to 250 lbs. (113.25 kg) while maintaining a very small angle, such as 20.degree. between the panel and the supporting surface. This stability is due at least in part to the Velcro.TM. fastening material which is particularly resistant to the shear forces experienced in the strap as weight is placed on the tilt board. For angles less than 20.degree., additional straps could be provided.
These and other advantages of the present invention may be more fully understood by referring to the drawings and detailed description of the preferred embodiment which follows.